Pepper Vine
Ampelopsis arborea
Family: Vitaceae
What it is like
Ampelopsis arborea is an evergreen Climber growing to 10 m (32ft 10in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). Suitable for: medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Swampy woods. Rich moist soils. Stream bottoms, fence posts and disturbed areas in Texas.
Southern N. America - Florida to Texas and north to Illinois and Oklahoma.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Fruit - raw or cooked. A poor taste. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter and contains 3 seeds. It is carried in small bunches on the plant, rather like grapes. The flesh is thin and inedible.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers a deep rich loam in a warm sheltered position in sun or semi-shade. A very ornamental plant, when dormant it is quite hardy in Britain, but is better grown on a wall. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun. It rarely flowers or fruits in this country except after a long hot summer. Plants are deciduous in cold winters. Plants climb by means of coiling tendrils but large plants often need tying in to support the weight of foliage. Any pruning is best carried out in the winter.
Propagating it: Seed - sow in pots in a cold frame in the autumn or stratify for 6 weeks at 5°c and sow in the spring. Germination can be quite slow, sometimes taking more than a year. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. When they are more than 20cm tall, they can be planted out into their permanent positions, preferably in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm long, July/August in a frame. Cuttings or eyes in late autumn or winter. Either place them in the ground in a greenhouse or cold frame, or put them in pots. An eye cutting is where you have just one bud at the top and a short length of stem with a small part of the bark removed. These normally root well and grow away vigorously, being ready to plant into their permanent positions the following autumn. Layering into pots in late summer. Partially sever the stem in spring and then lift the new plants in the autumn.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade;
Habit: Climber
Hardiness: 6-9
Growth:
Soil: Medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist